Railroad-signal.



IIWIWMIIII N0.s85,621. MTBNTED APR.21,1908.

- MLK. JOHNSTON. l r

v RAILROAD', SIGNAL. PPLIGAHON FILED JULY ze, 190s.

A TTOHNEYS UNITED sTATEs PATENT OEETOE.

JOHN K'ILGORE JOHNSTON, or TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

, RAILROAD-SIGNAL.

I Specification of Iietters Patent.

Application filed July 26, 1906. Serial No. 327,851.

Patented April 21, 1908.

may be employed at ni ht, and all dangerV arising from the failure o the engineer to distingluish between the dHerent colored lights 1s e 'minated According to this invention the signals are given by semaphore arms, and means are provided whereby the position of these arms in a be very clearly seen even on the darkest m t.

eference is to be had to the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification, in which drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of but one end of a standard railroad signal bridge with sema hore signals as they appear to approac g engines 3 Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section tlllrough one form of screenwhich I may emp oy.

The bridge shown in the drawings is of standard design and extends across the railroad tracks, and supports a semaphore signal above each of said tracks. The semaphore signal arms l are supported upon the signal oles 2, and the positlon of these arms may be varied to indicate diiierent conditions to the engineers on approaching trains. In order that these signals may be seen at night, I provide a screen 3 composed of slats 4 of wood, canvas,metal or any suitable com osition having interstices or perforations t erebetween, whereby the air may freely pass through the same and thus reduce the liability of the screen being blown down during a storm. Each slat is covered with paint, enamel, pigment or other substance which will reiiect and break up the light rays from the lamps, whereby the entire screen will resent a large illuminated surface. To ight up the screen I provide a plurality of oil or incandescent lamps or arc 'ghts 5 upon the back side of the signal poles 2, in such a position that the lights themselves cannot be seen from approaching trains, but the exposed screen is brightly illuminated. The signal arms are supported on the dark side of the poles, and are unaected by the li hts, but as the arms are moved in front o the screen the contrast between the dark arm and the brightly light screen is very decided and the position of the arm may be determined with the greatest ease.

My improvement can be applied to bracket post, ground post, distant, route, home, lock, interloc -ring, dwarf or disk signals where standard signal bridges are not in use.

In my improved railroad signal above described, there are no bright `lights directed toward the approaching trains to blind the eyes of theengineers, and the signal being iven by the position of the arm rather than y the color of the light, or colored lights in combination, accidents due to color blindness or mistaken interpretation of the engineers are entirely out of the question. Furthermore, the same signals employed in the day time are employe at night, and operated in exactly the same way, thus Obviating the expense of roviding two entirely separate and indepen ent systems of signals, one for use in the day time and one for use at night.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination, a substantially vertical screen constructed to permit the passage of air therethrough, a signal arm adapted to be moved in front of said screen, and means for illuminating the side of the screen toward the signal arm and the rear side only of the signal arm.

2. In combination, a screen constructed to ermit the passage of air therethrough and iiaving a surface covered with a light reiiecting substance, a semaphore signal arm adapted to be moved in front of said screen, and means for illuminating the screen the arrangement being such that the face of the arm away from said screen remains unilluminated.

3. The combination with a signal arm, of an opaque screen supported therebehind, and means arranged between the screen and the signal arm for illuminating the screen, said means being directed toward the screen and shielded from 'an Observer in front ofthe signal arm forfthe purposeset forth. gig; ill. The combinatlonlwithfa signalpoleprovidedwithmovablelsignallarm,ioanppaque screen .arranged behind the signe] arm',"an"d nam'e 'to' 'this specification in the presence of 4means connected With'thpoleonvthefside two subscribing witnesses.

of the pole toward the screen for illuminating said screen, th pole concealing Saidillumi? JOHBN KILGORE JOHNSTON- nating means from an observer in front of" Witnesses: thecreen.A J. S. IGILLAM,

In testimony whereof I havesigned my v W. H.FLENNER. 

